Shock absorbing means



Oct. 5, 1954 D. w. MACOMBER SHOCK ABSORBING MEANS Filed Nov. 9, 1949 INVENTOR par/ii Wfilacomler ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 5, 1954 UNITED STATES ATET OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to shock absorbing means for car couplers and it is an object of the invention to provide means of this kind operating to substantially eliminate the shock and jars incident to the coupling of railway rolling stock and the like and also to substantially avoid transit shocks while the rolling stock is in motion.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide means coacting with a railway car and the like and a coupling member carried thereby to absorb the shocks incident to a coupling operation.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved shock absorbing means, whereby certain advantages are attained, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view partly in top plan and partly in section illustrating shock absorbing means embodying the invention; and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view partly in side elevation and partly in section of the assembly illustrated in Figure 1.

In the accompanying drawings, A denotes the opposed ends of railway cars or similar rolling stock and carried by each end portion of the cars A is a standard or conventional type of draft rigging D including an endwise movable draw bar I having the usual coupling head 2 at the outer extremity thereof. The coupling head 2 is formed to provide a rearwardly facing shoulder 3 extending upwardly from the rear portion of a shelf or platform 4 comprised in the coupling head structures 2.

Seating on the shelf or platform 4 and butting the shoulder 3 is a casing C secured and rigidly held to the coupling head 2 by welding 5 or otherwise as may be preferred. The casing C has its open face rearwardly disposed and opposed to and facing the adjacent end of the car A.

In snug but freely telescoping engagement with the casing C through the rearwardly disposed open face thereof, is the open face portion of a casing D carried by an end Wall 6 of the car A.

The casing D is also relatively deep and its open face is outwardly disposed. The rear or inner end wall 1 of the casing D is securely and rigidly held to the end wall 6 of the car A by the headed members or bolts 8 disposed from within through the end wall 6 and threading through the end wall I of the casing D. This wall I is of material thickness to assure effective engagement therethrough of the headed members or bolts 8.

The members or bolts 8 extend inwardly of the casing D to provide holding fingers 9 for end portions of the expansible members In herein disclosed as heavy coil springs of requisite tens1on.

The opposite end portions of the members or springs l0 engage around the holding fingers ll carried by the rear wall I of the casing D and extending inwardly of the casing D. The memers or springs If! at a l times have tensioned contact with the rear wall I of casing D and the end wall of easing C from which the fingers H extend.

Upon a coupling operation, the members or springs It will be compressed and thus absorb the shocks incident to said operation. This is of advantage as it will materially reduce injury to cargo as a result of coupling or transit shocks.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that a shock absorbing means constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated.

I claim:

1. A buffer structure between a car coupler head and an adjacent car wall; comprising a casing supporting means on said head in the form of a recess providing a horizontal platform having an end remote from said car wall and a shoulder extending upwardly from the said end of the platform and facing the car end wall, a casing having an open end and a closed end resting on said platform with its closed end against and secured to the shoulder and the open end facing the car wall, a second casing having a closed end and an open end, the closed end of the second casing being against and secured to the car end wall and having its open end telescoped into the open end of the first casing, and a compression spring disposed in the two casings between and with its ends against the inner faces of the end walls of the two casings.

2. The invention as stated in claim 1, wherein the closed end of the second casing is secured against the end wall of the car by a bolt passing through and threadedly coupled with the car wall and the closed end portion of the second casing and having a long terminal unthreaded portion projecting into the second casing and functioning as a supporting finger extending into the adjacent end of the spring, and a rigid finger formed upon the inner side of the end wall of the first casing and having spaced aligned relation with the said unthreaded portion of the bolt and extending into and supporting the adjacent end of the spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 408,593 Davis Aug. 6, 1889 1,658,179 Wilson Feb. 7, 1928 1,855,188 Jackson Apr. 26, 1932 1,993,106 Lounsbury Mar. 5, 1935 2,190,730 Pancake Feb. 20, 1940 

